Relevant offers

With clucking hens, reduced litter and gardens galore one local school is doing its bit for the environment.

Being clean, green and sustainable has been a focus for Wakaaranga School since it became an Enviroschool nine years ago. And now its efforts have been acknowledged with the Green-Gold Enviroschool status.

Enviroschools is a nationwide programme which focuses on on teaching kids to be thoughtful environmental citizens.

Assistant principal Margaret Warburton says the children are exceptionally proud of their efforts and the green path the school has taken.

"The children have set goals for the future to ensure that we continue to take action for our environment and work towards becoming a Beyond Green Gold school."

The Farm Cove primary school has a senses garden where the children can taste mint leaves, smell the flowers and observe the blooms.

With chickens on the grounds the pupils also learn about the cycle of sustainability by feeding scraps to the hens, collecting the eggs and using the manure to fertilise the garden.

Mrs Warburton says the school has accomplished three out of the four stages of the programme.

"This year our main action was to reduce our waste to landfill and by the end of the year we had reduced our waste by 75 per cent," she says.

Environment and Sustainability Forum chairman Wayne Walker says the programme shows how the next generation is making a difference by putting sustainable practices in place.

"These young people are on their way to become the environmental leaders of the future," he says.

A Green-Gold Enviroschool includes environmental sustainability in decision-making within the school community.